The next stop on our virtual tour of things “Wethersfield” is led by long-time WHS member Frank Winiarski, who will take us through select parts of the Wethersfield Museum’s exhibit “Castle on the Cove”. The exhibit details the history of the Connecticut State Prison when it was located in Wethersfield between 1827 and 1963. As a boy growing up in Wethersfield, Frank had a first-hand view of the comings and goings at the prison that turned into a lifelong interest in the institution’s history and its place within the larger culture of the town.
This content was made possible in part by a grant from the Robert Allan Keeney Memorial Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the generosity of our members.
Now that you’ve watched the video, it’s time to go visit the real world and see what’s in store with the Connecticut State Prison in Wethersfield Scavenger Hunt.
Directions: A dangerous criminal has escaped from the Connecticut State Prison! Search for clues in the following places in Wethersfield to decode the name of the escaped prisoner. Click here for your own PDF copy of the mission. You can download and print it or work from your mobile device. Good luck!
- Learn more: What follows are a series of links and recommendations to curated sources for additional detailed information on the Connecticut State Prison.
- “Capital Punishment in Connecticut”
- Denis Caron, A Century in Captivity
- “Lydia Sherman”
- “Wethersfield Prison Blues”
- “Wethersfield Prison Records”
- “Windsor’s ‘Murder Factory’”
- Amy Northrop Wittorff and Frank Winiarski, “Wethersfield State Prison”
If you are interested in additional material on the Connecticut State Prison at Wethersfield, Frank Winiarski originally gave this presentation to a live audience in 2014. Frank recorded his narration this past August and the newly created video is available to be viewed below.